Threads Surpasses X in Global Daily Mobile Users Amid AI Turmoil

Market intelligence firm Similarweb reported that Meta’s Threads has officially overtaken Elon Musk’s X in daily active mobile users. As of early January, Threads recorded 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android, compared to 125 million for X. While X still dominates desktop web traffic with roughly 145 million daily visits, the shift marks a significant milestone in the “battle of the apps,” where Threads has grown by nearly 38% over the past year.

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The surge in Threads’ popularity is attributed to a steady rollout of user-requested features, including direct messaging, interest-based communities, and disappearing posts. Meta has also aggressively cross-promoted the app within Instagram’s massive ecosystem. Conversely, X is grappling with severe regulatory blowback. On January 14, California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an investigation into xAI’s Grok chatbot after reports surfaced that users were utilizing its “spicy mode” to generate non-consensual deepfake images of women and minors. Indonesia and Malaysia have already moved to block the tool entirely.

Despite the global mobile lead for Threads, X maintains a narrow edge in the United States with 21.2 million daily mobile users versus Threads’ 19.5 million. However, with X’s US audience shrinking by nearly 12% annually, analysts suggest the gap may close before the summer. As advertisers increasingly favor Threads’ brand-safe environment, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that the platform’s growth has been “purely organic,” positioning it as the primary destination for real-time conversation in 2026.